Isabella Moretti pressed her palm flat against the wall, steadying herself as the fluorescent lights flickered overhead. The air smelled like hairspray, sweat, and the faint metallic tang of equipment cables.

The music festival in Osaka was one of the biggest of the year. Every major act in K-pop was crammed into the same venue, the same green rooms, the same narrow hallways. It was inevitable that paths would cross.

Isabella exhaled slowly.

Isabella's gaze flickered toward the sound before she could stop herself.

And there he was.

Kim Taehyung walked in the middle of the group, head tilted slightly, listening to something Jimin was saying. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and his stage jacket hung loose over his shoulders. He wasn't even doing anything. Just walking. Just existing.

And somehow the entire corridor felt smaller.

He didn't look at her. Not yet.

But something in his stride seemed to slow, just slightly. Just enough.

Nayeon hummed beside her, unmistakably smug.